View report page

14
(GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
A very lull report on the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare
Services, compiled by Dr. Mackenzie, was included in my report for
the year 1937, and thins section of the present report consists mainly
of statistical information relating to the various aervices,
Provision has been made during the year for extending the
maternity and child welfare services of the Borough by an agreement
to rent a portion of the Goldsmiths' Community Centre, Boundfield
Road, on the Whitefoot Lane Estate, where it is propoaed to hold
ante-natal and infant clinics. It has also been decided to lease
accommodation to be provided by the London County Council in a
combined Medical Centre on the Honor Oak Housing Estate, which
will the utilised for a similar purpose.
The Council have also agreed to the principle of providing
additional municipal clinics for such parts of the Borough as are at
present inadequately served, and, as an initial measure, have decided
that the necessary steps be taken to provide a municipal clinic to
meet the demands of the Bellingham and I.ower Sydenham districts.
An additional whole-time Maternity and Child Welfare Medical
Officer was appointed, in the person of Or. Beatrice Helen Bakewell,
and she commenced duty on July 25th, 1938. The medical staff
now consists of one part-time, and three whole-time Medical Officers.
The greath increased demand for Home Helps, principally due
to the inauguration of the London County Council's Domiciliary
Midwifery Service, necessitated a complete reorganisation of the
Schemes. A scale of contributions to be paid towards the cost of
the service was adopted, anil the working of the Scheme was placed
in the hands of one of the Health Visitors, under the supervision of
the Senior Maternity and Child Welfare Medical Officer.
The problems of the prevention of maternal mortality again
came under review consequent upon a report presented to Parliament
by the Ministry of Health. To conform with the recommendations